Starting your Tree

 You've got your motivation, now to get everything down on paper.  Write it all down, starting with your immediate family and then work backwards, putting each individual's information you know on the branches.  Once you've got down the information, now you can identify the blank spots and how you can obtain the answers.

 

As you work, put all the details you know or have heard about each individual.  Most of these facts won't show their value until much later in your research. 

 

Now step back a second.  Look down at your work.  You've got your basic tree.  Notice any holes in the branches?  Start a list of questions on a seperate sheet of paper.   What info do you need to find these answers?  Get that deerstalker out of mothballs, Sherlock.  You're solving a new mystery.